Trolls who use ‘derogatory hashtags’ or ‘humiliating photoshopped images’ on Twitter could be JAILED

Social media is set to be more tightly policed after the Crown Prosecution Service issued rules on offences which can criminalise users

By GUY BIRCHALL

10th October 2016, 12:45 pm

Updated: 10th October 2016, 1:59 pm

ONLINE trolls who create "derogatory hashtags" or post "humiliating" photoshopped images the internet could be JAILED under new legal guidelines.

Social media is set to be more tightly policed after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued rules on offences which can criminalise users.

PA:Press Association

Trolls on the internet could be jailed under new guidelines set up by the Crown Prosecution Service today

Inciting people to harass others online, known as virtual mobbing, is among the offences included in the guidance published on Monday.

It is hoped the updated information will help police to determine whether to press charges against someone for their behaviour on social media.

However the guidelines have not been universally welcomed with one police source telling The Sun: "The police have more than enough to do investigating real life crimes - no troll wants a child to harm themselves because of cyberbullying and if this law prevents another needless death then that's great.

"But adults who provoke trolls into a reaction by not having a sense of humour are going to abuse this law and waste police time because they are unable to not search 'troll groups' for comments about themselves and have an inability to log off and live their real life.

"Images used for photoshopping are gained from being uploaded to Facebook, once you do this you are effectively making your picture fair game for public use, micky taking out of supposedly grown up adults should not be considered a criminal offence."

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Deputy editor of free speech campaigning website Spiked online, Tom Slater, warned that laws like these laws could see us "sleep walking into tyranny."

He said: "In the name of protecting people from being harassed online, the CPS is giving the authorities a blank cheque to police speech and expression.

"It's right there, in the guidance, that 'grossly offensive' speech could be deemed criminal.

"Given that there is always someone, somewhere, grossly offended by something this isn't much of a guarantee. We are sleepwalking into tyranny."

Creating a hashtag to encourage an online harassment campaign, or pushing for retweets of a "grossly offensive message" are given as examples of unacceptable cyber behaviour.

Other examples of outlawed practices set out in the guidance include publishing an individual's home address or bank details on the internet, dubbed doxxing.

Baiting - when someone is humiliated online by being branded sexually promiscuous - is also mentioned in the guidance, as is posting "disturbing or sinister" photoshopped images of someone on a social media site.

Prosecutors acknowledged, however, that many photoshopped images were "humorous and inoffensive".

The CPS also announced the launch of a hate crime consultation, issuing a series of public policy statements centred on combating crimes against disabled people, as well as racial, religious, homophobic and transphobic hate crime.

PA:Press Association

Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders announced the new guidelines today

It was also announced that cases of sexting that involve underage children should not be pursued for prosecution if the images are shared consensually between two children of a similar age in a relationship, the CPS said.

But it added that if such cases involved "exploitation, grooming or bullying", it may be appropriate to attempt to prosecute those responsible.

The consultation will be launched on Monday and will last for 13 weeks.